Lonely and forgotten, never thought she'd look my way,
She smiled at me and held me, just like she used to do,
Like she loved me, when she loved me

"You just wait right here and I'll go get her for you, okay?"

"Okay," Charlie replied, her voice a bit shaky.

It had taken her almost two weeks, but this was the day. Today, she had decided, she was going to meet her mom.

Charlie knew that despite what she had decided, a part of her was still afraid. That part feared that after being reunited with her mom, she would abandon her, leaving Charlie more hurt than before. That part of her that held this fear was the part that had delayed her decision for so long. She had wanted to wait until she was "ready" to meet her mom, but that part wouldn't let the worry of Ruby leaving again leave her mind. That's when she figured that if she waited until she was truly ready to meet Ruby, she might be waiting forever. Plus, there was a part of Charlie that felt bad for her mom, causing her to not want to make Ruby have to wait around too long. Charlie had a feeling her mom was just as anxious as she was. Maybe even more.

She hadn't told her parents about her mom being here for fear that they might try to intervene and prevent her from meeting Ruby. She didn't think it would happen, but she knew this wasn't something her parents would like. She didn't like going behind their backs, but she needed this. She didn't know why, but she just did. To keep them from being suspicious, she had woken up each morning and gone over to the apartment she used to live in. After spending the morning there with Pikachu, she would go find Grayson so that her parents wouldn't think she was losing it. Today, though, she had come straight to the training school and found Gary. She told him that she wanted to meet Ruby in person, and now he was in the middle of granting her request.

"Pika?" Pikachu asked, cocking his head to the side. He had noticed something off about Charlie, but she hadn't said anything to him about what was bothering her. He didn't know what they were doing either. "Pikapi?"

Instead of answering him, Charlie just scratched Pikachu under his chin. Although he easily complied with the special treatment, he was still worried about her. He had always hated when Ash would get really upset and he was unable to figure out why, or even help him. So, his inability to decipher the cause of Charlie's sudden mood swing frustrated him.

From traveling so long on Charlie and Ash's shoulders, Pikachu had learned to sense the connections between their change in emotion and the switch in their bodies. So when Charlie's body suddenly stiffened at the sound of footsteps outside the door, Pikachu could sense that whatever was behind the door scared her and put her on the edge. Scampering up her arm and onto her shoulder, he nudged her cheek affectionately and gave off little sparks.

"Pikachu," she giggled as the little waves of electricity touched her cheek, "quit it. That tickles."

As Charlie tried to swat Pikachu away, she heard the door open causing her to drop what she was doing. This is it. There's no turning back. This even alerted Pikachu, who looked up to see who was causing Charlie so much stress. When he saw who it was, though, he leaped off Charlie's shoulder and stopped a few feet away from Ruby.

"Chupi?"

Pikachu was stunned. He knew exactly who was standing in front of him, but he never thought he'd see her again.

"Hey there, Pikachu," Charlie heard Ruby's voice flow through the room as she greeted Pikachu. Her voice was sweet and Charlie could hear the genuine care in it. It wasn't a very high-pitched voice, but it wasn't a very low-pitch either; it was more in the middle. "It's been a while since I've seen you."

When Charlie finally gained the nerve to look up, she got her first real look at her mom. She was kneeling in front of Pikachu, offering her hand for him to sniff so she wouldn't startle him. Ruby's matching auburn hair was down with two side braids that kept her bangs out of her face, and she looked tiny compared to Gary's taller frame. Her heart-shaped face was accented with some minimal makeup and flushed, red cheeks from the cold. She's so pretty, Charlie thought as she took in Ruby's smile directed toward Pikachu. Even the clothes she wore-dark-blue jeans and a white t-shirt with a green sweater over it- added to her beauty. She was speechless and glued to her seat, overwhelmed by it all. This was her mom and the woman she had been missing for years. And after all these years, she was standing in front of her like magic. While her mom hadn't been on an adventure, her dad hadn't completely lied to her. Her mom had eventually come back for her. It took a long time, but she was here. And every bit of Charlie prayed she wouldn't change her mind.

After Pikachu had approached Ruby and was now being cuddled like a stuffed animal in her lap, Ruby looked up and locked eyes with her daughter. While Charlie saw herself in Ruby, all Ruby could see in Charlotte was Ash. Like everyone had said, Charlotte's eyes were the same chestnut brown that Ash had, and some of her facial features were the spinning image of Ash. Regardless of the nerves she was feeling before when Gary had told her the good news, all she could do now was smile. This wasn't the same little girl she had left; this was a much older girl who had changed considerably over the years. Her hair was much longer and resembled Ruby's own hair more than it had before; and the baby fat was starting to fade, as Charlotte's cheeks were significantly reduced in size. Charlotte was still tiny like Ruby had always remembered her being, but she had definitely grown a few inches. Charlotte may have looked different than what Ruby remembered, but there was no doubt in Ruby's mind that this was her daughter.

Sensing they might want some time to themselves, Gary urged Pikachu to follow him as they slipped out the door together. After they left, though, Charlie didn't say anything. What do you say to the women you haven't seen since you were three? Hey? Hi, how are you doing? It's been a while? In her dreams since she was a kid, she would be running up to her mom for a hug, but that's not what she wanted. Then again, she didn't know what she wanted. She could tell that even Ruby was at loss for words. After Ruby heard the click of the door as Gary shut it behind him, she slowly glided over to Charlotte and crouched down in front of her.

Now on Charlotte's level, their eyes locked, amber gazing into chestnut, as they tried to read the other. Lifting her hand, Ruby let it hang right in front of Charlotte's face, hesitant to move it any closer. She wanted to pull her daughter into a hug and hold on to her, but she knew that it could scare Charlotte. Proceeding forward, Ruby moved her hand to push back a piece of hair that had fallen in her daughter's face. Brushing the loose strand behind her ear, she held her hand there for a second before letting it fall to rest on Charlotte's cheek.

The sensation of her mom's hand against her cheek felt different, but not necessarily in a bad way. Unlike her dad's hands, which were rough, callous-filled from years of traveling and always covered with cotton gloves, her mom's hands were warm and soft. She could even smell the mild amount of perfume radiating off her wrist. It smelled like flowers, almost giving off a sense of a mini garden, reminding her a bit of her dad. To her, he had always smelled like the outdoors with that earthy smell, and Ruby's flower smelling perfume only complimented that smell. Do I smell like the earth, too?

Despite what she had decided earlier, Ruby couldn't hold back from hugging her daughter. Her emotions were too overwhelming to be ignored. Sliding her hand down Charlotte's cheek and onto her shoulder, she gripped both of them and pulled her close. Unlike the years before when she had held her daughter, she wasn't able to lift her up and carry her, nor was she able to pull her into her lap. Soon, she wouldn't even need to crouch down to be at Charlotte's level. Right then and there, though, she could have cared less. After several years, she finally held her daughter in her arms once again.

"I can't believe I found you," Ruby exclaimed as she wrapped her arms around her.

Charlotte remained standing where she was, unnerved by the sudden action Ruby had taken. Her dream was coming true and she didn't know how to react. To begin with, she had never really been an affectionate person, something she inherited from both her parents. Secondly, her brain was telling her it would be the respectful thing to hug her mom back, but her heart was still stuck in the past.

This was the woman who had left her for really no reason at all, and now she was back, standing here, expecting Charlie to return her hug like nothing happened. She could forgive her mom because that's what you do for people you love, but even after all these years she couldn't figure out how someone she loved so much, and who she thought loved her back, could just leave her. Then again, In the grand scheme of things, she barely knew Ruby and she had been to young to remember their time together, so one could question how it was possible for Charlie to love someone she barely knew. But she did love her mom because, well, she was her mom. Maybe not as strong as her dad who had been her primary caretaker for a while, but she loved her mom enough to miss her while she was gone and dream about the day they would be reunited.

But things were different now. After her dad passed away, Ruby still hadn't returned leaving Christina and Daniel to take over caring for her. She had a family-maybe not the one she dreamed about-but a loving and caring family nonetheless. And while she could never call Daniel, Dad, she found it easier to call Christina, mom. Deep down, though, she always knew a part of her knew Christina could never take the full place of her mom despite the fact Ruby was gone. Now with Ruby here, though, Charlie feared things would change. She didn't want to hurt anybody she loved, but she couldn't ignore her feelings.

"We missed you," she told Ruby. She was speaking for both her and her dad, but it was her who did the majority of the missing. "We waited for you but you never called or came back. Didn't you miss me?"

"Of course I did, sweetie," Ruby replied, leaning back so Charlotte could see her face. Sweetie? Hearing the word come out of Ruby's mouth felt strange to Charlie. Nobody had called her sweetie before. Her dad had always used names more associated for boys- kiddo, squirt, sport, buddy, etc-while Christina had always called her dear. "I missed you everyday-both of you."

"If you missed me, why didn't you come back?"

Ruby knew these questions would come up eventually, but she didn't think Charlotte would ask them right away. On the other hand, by addressing the giant Phanpy in the room, maybe they could work past it and Ruby could focus on rebuilding her relationship with her daughter. Staring back at Charlotte, she tried to come up with a way to answer her daughter's looming questions. She knew Charlotte was aware of the reasons behind why she had left, but that wasn't what she wanted to know.

"Charlotte, I was a coward. I've always been a coward. I-I thought your dad would bring you to me, but he never did. After that I just assumed he was mad so I ignored it and didn't do anything." Ruby took a deep breath as she watched Charlotte observe her face for anything. "It took me a while to see the wrong in my actions, and when I finally did, I went looking for you. I'd missed so much of your life already, and I couldn't bare to miss anymore of it. I was ready to work with your dad so I could see you, too. But when I came to Viridian and ran into Gary he told me..he…"

She didn't know why, but Ruby could feel the tears gathering in her eyes. Both her and Charlotte knew what happened next in Ruby's search, but it was still hard for Ruby to process. While Charlotte had lived five years knowing about her dad's death, Ruby had just found out and had yet to try and imagine her life without him-at least, a life where there was no chance of her seeing him again or repairing their relationship. She had been five years too short.

"It's okay to cry," Charlie whispered. She gave Ruby a sympathetic look, understanding how she felt. "I…I miss him everyday."

"I'm so sorry," Ruby replied, chocking over her words. Her voice cracked a bit as the tears became unstoppable. Resting her hand on Charlotte's cheek once more, she apologized again. "I'm so sorry, Charlotte. If I never left, I could have been there for you; I should have been there for you. You've had to live five years without him, and I should have been there everyday to make sure you got through it. We should have gotten through it together. But I just left you alone."

"I'm better than I was then."

She was now. It had taken her a while to accept her life without her dad, but she had pulled herself together and carried on. She still missed him everyday and wrestled with her desire to seek revenge on the people who had taken him from her, but she was better now. And with the box of letters her dad had sent her nearing its end, she couldn't help but feel that she would somehow receive closure for his death. It would be the final thing she ever got from him, thus ending the mystery that shrouded his life.

"I know you are," Ruby smiled back at her through her tears. "You're a very strong girl. Your dad raised you well."

"It was hard," Charlie told her, "but he tried his best."

"Of course he did," Ruby assured her. He always did. "He loved you so much. You were his whole life, Charlotte. You two were practically inseparable."

"Did you love me?" Charlie asked.

"Love you? Oh, Charlotte, of course I do." Ruby felt at twinge of pain that her daughter would even ask her something like this. As a mother it was her duty to make sure her daughter never questioned if she was loved by her, but she had failed. "The minute they put you in my arms and I saw your little nose and big, brown eyes, I fell in love. I've always loved you no matter what, and I always will."

"What have you been doing?" Charlie asked. Since her mom hadn't been on an adventure, she was now left with the question of what exactly her mom had been doing all these years in Saffron. "He told me you were on an adventure, but since you weren't…"

He lied for me? Why would he lie for me? While Ruby didn't think Ash was a bad person, she had always thought he would tell Charlotte the truth-or some variation of it-about why she wasn't there anymore. Instead, though, he had used the same excuse his mom had used for him. She sat there for a second pondering the reason why. Knowing Ash, though, she concluded that it would just be easier for him to tell Charlotte this little lie instead of breaking her heart with the truth. By doing this nobody got hurt-except maybe him-and Charlotte could live with this image that Ruby was out exploring the world. That there was still hope she would come back one day.

"Ruby?" she heard Charlotte's voice break through her thoughts. She had really wanted to call Ruby "Mom" but the word in reference to Ruby felt strange and out of place to Charlie. So, to avoid letting it slip out, she had settled for Ruby.

She had blanked out and left Charlotte standing there. At the same time, though, it was bittersweet for her to here her daughter address her. She had finally called her Ruby for the first time, but she had hoped the word mom would come out of Charlotte's mouth. Ruby knew she didn't deserve that title, though. She had gone without it for seven years, and now, according to Gary, someone else in Charlotte's life had that title.

"Sorry." Her face flushed as she let her hands fall to her side. Sighing, she stood up and folded her arms, tilting them at a slight angle. "Um, well, I've been in Saffron. I've competed in Pokemon Contests, but I stopped that a year ago because while I loved them, within the last couple years, they weren't giving me the happiness they used to anymore. I went back to Pokemon battling and started training everyday. My friends think I do it too obsessively, but it was a good distraction, you know?"

Unfolding her arms, she interlocked her fingers and flexed them. She was so nervous she could feel her heart beating at a rapid speed.

"I specialize in grass Pokemon, but I have a soft spot for bug types as well. I was recently offered a spot as the first member of the elite four to specialize in grass Pokemon, so I guess I must be pretty good. It's kind of been my dream, but I don't know if I should take it. I-"

"You should take it," Charlie interjected. Ruby paused and looked at her, raising her eyebrows in surprise. "You don't want to pass up an opportunity like that."

"I guess…" If she really wanted to, she could take it-she had till the end of March to accept. Plus, since she would be stationed at the Indigo Plateau, she would be a lot closer to Charlotte and Gary.

"You should," Charlie added once more for good measure. If things didn't work out well with her mom and her, she could at least try to make up by for it by encouraging her mom to pursue her dream. Her dad had always told her that no matter what, she should support the people she loved. "If there's one thing I learned from my dad's death, it's to take every opportunity you can. He never got to achieve his dream, so you should go for it now before you run out of time."

How could Ruby not say yes after Charlotte had put it that way? It had been her dream since she was little to become the top Grass Pokemon trainer, and a spot on the Kanto elite four would get her one step closer. At the same time, though, she wanted something else more. Her life had changed over the years, and she had realized she wanted a family more than a life of elite status. She wanted Charlotte back, and she wanted to work things out with Ash so they could both equally share the responsibility of raising Charlotte and have their own lives at the same time. She knew she couldn't have all of that anymore-Maybe Charlotte was right. By giving up her dream when she had the chance, she had lost it-but she could at least have some of it.

Sighing, she turned her face into a warm smile. "I'll think about it."

Charlie nodded approvingly.

"Gary said my dad wanted him to take me to Pallet Town for Christmas. He said he invited you, too."

"Yes he did. But I won't go if it'll make you uncomfortable in anyway."

"No, it's okay. I want you to come," she told Ruby.

She really did, too. While she had been able to deal with everything she had learned about her dad from his friends and the memories of the apartment, his hometown of Pallet scared her. She knew there was someone really important she was going to meet there-she could sense it. Plus, if Pallet was his home, she had a feeling her dad would lead her to the house where he grew up. Who knows what memories were hidden there or what she would uncover about here dad's past? Pallet Town was where her dad, Ruby and Gary had all grown up together. And if she was going to face his past there, she wanted both Gary and Ruby with her to answer any questions and to be there for comfort purposes.

"Anything you need, Charlotte," Ruby assured her.

"Ruby?" Charlotte squeaked out. When Ruby was facing her, she took a deep breath and asked the question that had been at the forefront of her mind since she got here. "You're not going to leave me again, are you?"

This simple question made Ruby's heart fall. She hated to see Charlotte so scared and weary that she would abandon her again. Then again, Charlotte had lost both of the people she loved when she was young. She could only imagine the extent of pain Charlotte had went through-and probably still did at times-with the loss of Ash, but Ash hadn't left Charlotte the way Ruby had. His had been unstoppable and permanent. Her's was changeable at any time.

Walking toward Charlotte, she once again cupped her cheek and pulled her into a hug. "I'll never leave you again," she promised her daughter. "I love you, Charlotte."

OOOO

After returning from the training school, Charlie had told her parents about how she had discovered that her biological mother had come looking for her and how she had gone and met her behind their backs. When she did, Christina was furious with Charlie for hiding something so huge from them, and had even tried to prevent her from going to Pallet Town. This wasn't how things were supposed to happen. Ash had always told her that Ruby was gone and would probably never come back, but she had. And with her sudden appearances, Christina was scared for what might happen to Charlie.

After a rather heated argument between Charlie and Christina over letting Charlie go to Pallet, Daniel had finally intervened when they both went into their rooms. He could understand that Christina was only looking out for Charlie, but he also knew that Charlie was smart enough to know what was best for her-most of the time. Plus, he was convinced that Christina was still hurt over Charlie going and meeting Ruby behind their backs, and was just trying to hide it. So, when he went and looked for her, he found her sitting on the edge of their bed.

"How could she do this to us?" Christina blurted out the second she heard Daniel shut the door. "How could she just go and hide something that huge from us?"

"If she had told us, would you have let her?" Daniel asked.

"Of course I would have!" she cried, shooting her head in his direction. He just started at her, reading through her lie. After a few seconds, she sighed and let her arms fall to her side. "I don't know, Daniel."

"See? Then maybe it was a good thing she didn't tell us," he told her. Walking over he sat down next to her on the bed and wrapped his hand around her shoulder, pulling her close. "What are you really afraid of, Christina? I know you aren't really mad about her going to Pallet Town."

"I don't want to lose her, Daniel," she whispered. Although Christina wanted Charlie to meet the person her dad wanted her to, Ruby worried her. Now that Charlie had met her biological mom and wanted to spend the holidays with her, Christina worried that problems would arise from that. Maybe she was being selfish, but she couldn't help but worry that when Charlie came back, she would decide she no longer wanted to live with them and Christina would lose the girl she had raised as her own daughter. "When Ash passed away and he left her to us, I promised myself that I would take good care of her and love her like she's my own daughter. Over time, that became second nature and I grew attached to her. Now, I could never imagine my life without her."

"You have done that," Daniel tried to assure her. "Charlie's not going anywhere, Christina. Gary said since a lot of the people she met have families of their own, their having a big party before Christmas. That way everyone, including her, can be back home in time to spend Christmas with their families."

"She will?" She asked.

"Yep. You really have nothing to worry about," he told her. "So are you going to tell Charlie she can go to Pallet Town?"

Christina nodded.

"Good. Plus, knowing her, she would have gone anyway."

OOOO

When Tuesday afternoon rolled around-Christmas Eve was Friday- Charlie found herself sitting at the kitchen table waiting for Gary to arrive. Her mom had finally given in and agreed to let her got to Pallet Town, much to Charlie's excitement.

"Do you have everything?" her mom asked for what felt like the millionth time. Her mom had already asked her if she had her pajamas, toothbrush and toothpaste, clothes, etc. Charlie grunted in reply, sick of answering yes. "Okay. Good. Now make sure you have warm clothes. I know Pallet is a bit further south, but it can still get pretty cold since they are by the ocean. Oh! And…"

"Mom," Charlie whined, resting her head on the table, "stop freaking out. I just came back from and eleven moth journey, remember? I think I can handle a few days in Pallet. Plus, if anything happens, Gary will help me and Viridian is right near by. And I'll have Pikachu."

"Pika!" Pikachu gave an affirmative cry. No matter how annoying Charlie could be at times, he wouldn't let anything bad happen to her.

"I know. I know," her mom sighed.

Just then the doorbell rang, indicating Gary's arrival.

"Gary's here," Charlie announced, hopping off the table, a sudden burst of energy running through her system. Even though she didn't know Gary all that well, Charlie could already tell by their little conversation at the park that she was going to get along well with Gary. She liked how he was confident and didn't take things too seriously, cracking jokes or making fun of something to lighten the mood. Before she ran out the door, Charlie stopped and walked over to her mom to give her a hug. "I'll be okay. No need to worry about me."

"That's when I worry the most," her mom laughed, throwing her a knowing smile. Charlie just sighed. Her mom always said that when she would tell her not to worry about her. She was pretty sure her dad had said it at one point or another, too. "Do you have your coat? How about your gloves, hat and a scarf? I don't want you getting sick."

"Well, my coat's on the coat rack by the front door, as is my scarf and hat," she laughed. Sometimes she thought her mom worried more about her more than her dad had. "And, before you ask, I'm wearing my boots. See?"

"Okay Ms. Smarty Pants. Go grab your stuff. We don't want to make Gary wait out in the cold."

Rushing over to the door, Charlie swung it open to reveal Gary standing on her front porch.

"Hey there Charlie. You ready to go?" Gary asked.

"Yep! I just have to grab my coat," she explained. Standing on her tiptoes (she was kind of short) she grabbed her red coat, grey scarf and matching gloves, and her favorite hat. Throwing them on, she walked back over to Gary and stood in front of him all ready to go. "Ready!"

"Thanks for doing this, Gary," Christina thanked him as she walked into the hallway, Pikachu bounding behind her. This surprised Gary at first since Charlie had told him Christina was very hesitant about him taking Charlie to Pallet Town. "She's very excited. So is Pikachu."

"No problem, Ms. West. I'm happy to help anyway I can." While he waited for her to say something else, he watched Pikachu leap over to Charlie and hop on her shoulder. "Well, we should get going."

"Okay." Turning to her mom, Charlie gave her one last hug and goodbye before following Gary out the door. "See you at Christmas."

When Charlie walked outside, she was surprised to see a shiny, red convertible parked on the side of the road. Thankfully, it appeared as if Gary had been smart enough to put the top back on, but it still didn't look very safe to Charlie. In the front seat, Ruby waved to her before leaning over to unlock the door. Throwing her bag into the back seat, Charlie hesitantly climbed in the convertible while Gary slid into the front seat. Pikachu took the time to circle a few times before resting comfortably on Charlie's lap.

"Are you sure this is safe?" she asked him as she observed the snow shoveled onto the side of the road. She could be wrong, but she was pretty sure convertibles were better suited for the summer and spring when there was no risk of sliding on ice. "It looks a bit icy…"

"See? I'm not the only one," she heard Ruby scoff at the comment.

"You'll be fine," he replied as he threw on his sleek, black sunglasses. Putting the keys into the ignition, Gary turned on the car. "We'll be there before you know it. It's only a forty-five minute drive. The party starts at seven, but we should get there at six. We have plenty of time. Don't worry."

"It's tonight?" Charlie exclaimed. "I thought you said it wasn't until Thursday. I don't have anything to wear for it and I was going to go shopping tomorrow."

"Yeah," Ruby chimed in. "What happened Gary?"

Gary just rolled his eyes. Ash wasn't kidding. Hang around Charlie for a bit and the Ruby part of her personality showed through.

"Well, I changed a few things. Last week I called Gramps to tell you-know-who to throw the party today, and then I called all of Ash's friends to tell them to be here today. I came up with a better idea than introducing her before the party. Plus, it gives us more time to spend with everyone."

Ruby just groaned in annoyance. Something told her she was going to be there a little longer than two days. This was not fair.

"I still don't have anything to wear, though," Charlie reminded him. "If we turn around now, I can see if I can find something."

"Already covered," he told her. "I only found out today it's a little formal but I couldn't get a hold of you, so I called May. Her and Dawn went out shopping to get you something to wear."

Without another word, Charlie found herself gripping the side of the door as the car went speeding forward. Poor Pikachu was sent rolling off Charlie's lap and onto the floor. Maybe I'll get to see you after all, Dad.

"Gary!" Ruby yelled as the car lurched forward, sending her unbalanced body forward. "For god's sake, I just met my daughter after seven years! Please, don't injure her!"

"You worry too much, Rubes," he replied, flashing her a smile.

Charlie giggled a bit despite the fact she was clinging on for her life.

In a blur the city of Viridian flew by as they sped down the city road and onto a more country looking one that would take them to Pallet. To Pikachu, Ruby and Charlie's relief, Gary slowed down a bit once they hit the country road because it was too curvy and windy to travel on at high speeds. At this time, too, Gary decided to turn up the music in his car.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I wish you a Happy Halloween! I've started working on the next chapter, so-if things go smoothly-it should be up by the end of the week. In the next one everyone's back and together for the first time! Plus, Gary's alternate plan will be revealed.